SECOND XI: Blatherwick stars as Lancashire secure superb two-day win
Lancashire Cricket’s Second XI thrashed Warwickshire by an innings and 18 runs, winning the game on Day Two of their Championship match at Edgbaston Community Sports Ground.
The Red Rose took 18 wickets on day two to bowl the hosts out twice, wrapping the game up in the evening session and claiming a sensational win.
Warwickshire started the day two wickets down, thanks to a fiery Jack Blatherwick spell the evening prior. The fast bowler continued in the same fashion the following morning.
Just 22 overs into the day, the all-rounder, who hit 61 in the first innings, had ran through the Bears’ top order, picking up all six wickets to fall at that point.
Blatherwick had three players out bowled, knocking over Kai Smith, who top scored with 30. He also got Isaac Maddy and Taz Ali out bowled. Levi Gekis was trapped LBW by the right-arm quick, which saw him finish with first innings of 6-46 from 14 overs.
Charlie Parkinson got in on the act, picking up two wickets, including opening batter Oliver Dandy, who was caught by George Harris at second slip. Luke Hands and Tom Walker took the final two wickets to bowl Warwickshire out.
With a strong lead of 254 runs, the Red Rose enforced the follow-on. The hosts’ chief destroyer in the first innings, Blatherwick, broke the opening partnership by dismissing George Garton, just as he did in the first innings.
Sinel Gunarathne was out 11 runs later, bowled by Luke Hands with a ball that nipped away off the seam. Parkinson dismissed Smith LBW then had Dandy caught behind to leave the Bears 49-4.
Then came the rebuilding job, though, with Lancs somewhat on the back foot for the first time in Birmingham. Gekis and Maddy began to find the boundary, putting on 85, which was Warwickshire’s highest partnership of the game.
Maddy fell for 22, bowled by Ollie Sutton, which opened the floodgates again for the Red Rose. Ben Whitehouse removed Gekis not long after, for a well-made 96, after he was caught on the boundary at fine leg trying to take the game on.
The wickets continued to fall, with Charlie Taylor run out by Parkinson following a mix-up, and Che Simmons falling to Charlie Barnard, out bowled looking to pull the ball into the leg-side.
When Parkinson had Ali caught by Walker for 35, Warwickshire’s last hopes faded. Jake Garlick was the last man out, stumped by captain George Bell off the bowling of Parkinson. Number 11 Garlick was not in his crease after playing his shot, giving Bell the chance to throw the stumps down. Parkinson finished with figures of 4-25 from eight overs.
It saw Lancs wrap up a superb victory by an innings and 18 runs, with Blatherwick and Parkinson starring to secure the win inside two days.
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